Imrie to Raith

[Ferguson]

35 minutes ago, Cet Homme Charmant said:

If, as has been suggested, Dougie's job was a risk (I've obviously go no idea if it was or not), then letting him go and receiving compensation rather than sacking him and paying compensation, could be interpreted as a smart move. You might even say they were doing him a favour. 

But it's all conjecture and hearsay, I doubt we'll ever know the full story.

 

At face value I’d agree, it was probably right to take Raith’s compensation package and freshen things up. If the voice note is anything to believe though, the method in which we done that was a disgrace.

[Mr.Blue]

On 11/26/2025 at 12:36 PM, Gordon Ritchie said:

I worked closely with Dougie during his time at the club, and I think it’s a mistake to let him leave. He was far from a perfect manager (is there such a thing?) but he was a good tactician and an outstanding motivator. During his tenure, we created an atmosphere within the squad that meant that players wanted to come to Morton (sometimes for less money than was on offer elsewhere). From what I’ve heard, that atmosphere has been destroyed in recent months.

Some fans have criticised his recruitment, and commented on his failure to get the most out of his increased budget. I’d respond with two comments. Not every signing was Dougie’s. I believe that some signings were done at the insistence of a Chair and GM who exceeded what I believe should have been their role. 
 

Secondly, there is only a limited pool of good Championship players available. When you don’t get a budget on time, most of the quality talent has signed elsewhere. He cannot be blamed for that. I don’t know who was at fault for the late budget, but I can make an educated guess.

Dougie was responsible for turning around many careers at Cappielow. Muirhead, Oakley, Grimshaw, Crawford, Quitongo and others were on a downward trajectory until they came to work with him in Greenock. Dougie made them better players. I don’t think any of them have improved since they left.

The decision to let Millen leave had undermined Dougie. Andy and I were never friends at Cappielow, but I respected his talent and knowledge of the game. His greatest value to a manager was that he had no ambition to be a manager himself. He was happy to be the assistant, and so never threatened the manager’s position. When he left, and Dougie was denied his choice as a replacement, the writing was on the wall.

The club supported Dougie through his compliance issue for gambling, and through his pro license. He was always grateful for that support, and for us giving him his chance at management. I wonder if he thinks he had the same support in recent times.

I am sorry to see him leave. He was not the finished article, and at times could be a stubborn b****** to work with, but his commitment to his players could never be questioned. 

Given that it has taken the board 18 months and counting to find a new finance director since Harkins announced he was leaving, does anyone have confidence that they will get this process right? I was regularly telling them that they should always have a shortlist of managers ready, as Dougie was certain to leave at some point. Their statement does not inspire confidence of a quick resolution.

Will we choose the best candidate, or will it be one of Laird’s buddies that gets the job? But of course, that can’t happen as he (apparently) plays no part in the decisions!

Dougie’s success on the pitch has papered over many of the cracks behind the scenes. 

Finally, ask yourselves this question. If everything was good at Cappielow, why was Dougie applying for almost every job that came up? I can understand Inverness (at the time it happened) and Partick. Raith? Not so much. But I’m told he made an approach to Airdrie. How desperate must he been to leave Morton? And it wasn’t for money. Dougie was well paid at Cappielow. 

 

 

Was this all shared at the time you were involved with the club or were you holding on to it so that you could kick the club when it's down?

[Cet Homme Charmant]

13 minutes ago, SpoonTon said:

What else would He did this "work" to line his own and others' pockets mean?

 

He also said... Everyone needs to earn a living and many have a side hustle which is absolutely fine

But hey, Inverally is big and ugly enough to fight his own battles 

[Greacen2000]

When Davies was first appointed I had a bad feeling that it was with a view to ousting Imrie & replacing him eventually.  Along with the binning of Millen, delay in setting a budget, boardroom chaos, then some of the comments on team performance that Laird made, it would be easy to understand if Imrie wanted to leave.

On the other hand, his earlier statements about wanting to stay & being open to contract discussions alongside the "nice to be wanted" comment in his interview on raith TV suggest that maybe there is more to it than him simply applying for the raith job and leaving us when he got the offer.  If the club were planning to replace him then it would make financial sense to get a pay out from raith instead of having to pay him off, so maybe this is what has happened and he was pushed out.  If this is the case then Imrie did not deserve to be treated that way and it would raise big questions about how the club is being run.

Ultimately, I would like to echo what Russell said in the MCT statement - lets focus on what is best for the club right now.  In my opinion that means getting behind the team & the manager, rather than speculating on whatsapp messages etc.  If any of the stuff I've heard is true then we need major changes at the top, but to try and force this right now might cause more harm than good, potentially even leading to a rerun of the chaos we saw over the summer.

I am gutted that Imrie is gone, but it has happened.  Things haven't been great this season so lets hope that the change in manager will see a turnaround in our performances & results

 

[SpoonTon]

10 minutes ago, Cet Homme Charmant said:

He also said... Everyone needs to earn a living and many have a side hustle which is absolutely fine

But hey, Inverally is big and ugly enough to fight his own battles 

I don't think that changes things. The context was that he was doing it for the money and no other reason (which is the main reason why people have side hustles). 

[Cet Homme Charmant]

Just now, SpoonTon said:

I don't think that changes things. The context was that he was doing it for the money and no other reason (which is the main reason why people have side hustles). 

Why is it so outrageous to believe he was doing it just for the money? There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a bit of stretch to believe he was doing it for altruistic reasons.

[tolmie perms r bak]

Another shambles how hard is it to do things professionally ? It may of been time for a change but do it the right way

Nothing is going to change, while Bonnar is putting his money in ? As he trusts Laird and Robinson.

What happens if Bonnar decides to pull his money next summer? We will be back to square one. Is MCT being proactive on looking for potential investors/ sponsors?

[Greacen2000]

in the wider context of what is happening right now, this seems like a bit of an insignificant point to labour on, but here I go anyway with my tuppenceworth...

1 minute ago, Cet Homme Charmant said:

Why is it so outrageous to believe he was doing it just for the money? There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a bit of stretch to believe he was doing it for altruistic reasons.

It is pretty clear to me from Imries words & actions during his time with us (along with a few things he said in his first interview as raith manager) that community engagement & club/fan relationship are things that are very important to him, so it isn't exactly a massive stretch to say that his motivations for taking part in this event might have went a bit beyond a side-hustle to pocket a few quid. 

£500(if that is what he made) isn't exactly a fortune - without knowing how much Imrie was earning, I would be surprised if it amounts to much more than a couple of days wages for him - and at the cost of an evening away from his family etc.  I don't get what the big deal is here.  He did a Q&A fan event and was paid for his time.  Who cares?  We have much bigger issues to focus on

 

 

 

 

[CM48]

With the MCT statement.

When they say they'd like to thank the Morton board of directors for "keeping them updated", does that mean there are still no MCT reps on the board?

If not why not? Or if there are, surely there would be no need to thank the Morton board for keeping them updated?

I'm dreading absolutely no lessons have been learned from the shit-show this summer regarding transparency and fan representation, which in turn will lead to...another shit-show.

[Chicken_Soup]

 

Easiest £500 he’ll ever make. 

[SpoonTon]

34 minutes ago, Cet Homme Charmant said:

Why is it so outrageous to believe he was doing it just for the money? There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a bit of stretch to believe he was doing it for altruistic reasons.

I doubt the two things were seen as mutually exclusive here, but I don't know and wasn't particularly making a moral judgement. 

But he was absolutely saying that Imrie was making an opportunistic money grab (opportunistic in the sense that he was exploring his position to take part, and money grab in the sense that money was the motivation). 

[dunning1874]

10 minutes ago, CM48 said:

With the MCT statement.

When they say they'd like to thank the Morton board of directors for "keeping them updated", does that mean there are still no MCT reps on the board?

If not why not? Or if there are, surely there would be no need to thank the Morton board for keeping them updated?

I'm dreading absolutely no lessons have been learned from the shit-show this summer regarding transparency and fan representation, which in turn will lead to...another shit-show.

Graham Barr is still the MCT representative on the board, but as we saw with the transfer embargo MCT reps being there didn't mean the boards actually communicated.

I think it's just a throwaway courtesy line in a statement they've put out to acknowledge Imrie's departure, there's nothing negative to read into it. Of course the boards should be communicating with each other anyway, but that confirms that they still are.

[SpoonTon]

Imrie first talked to Raith last week, so if Davies is taking over then we've had a while to iron out those details with him. If this is the plan then there's at least something holding that up. 

By Tuesday, we also had time to decide to say that we were welcoming applications. So either we're trying to sort things out with Davies, have a target in mind already, or are dithering and didn't have a plan in advance (and didn't bother to meet previously to Tuesday to decide the way forward). 

[vikingTON]

31 minutes ago, tolmie perms r bak said:

Another shambles how hard is it to do things professionally ? It may of been time for a change but do it the right way

Nothing is going to change, while Bonnar is putting his money in ? As he trusts Laird and Robinson.

What happens if Bonnar decides to pull his money next summer? We will be back to square one. Is MCT being proactive on looking for potential investors/ sponsors?

MCT members democratically voted - under significant duress, but the majority was decisive - to let BB and the gang play with the ball until the summer of 2026. They also moved for a review of the partnership this January. 

That second thing needs to happen, but only after that point can anyone at MCT, or indeed the GMFC start being 'proactive' in planning the future of the club. There's no CEO figure at MCT getting paid 40 hours a week to meet possible stakeholders - there's not even a CEO figure (or Financial Director!) at the so-called professional football club being run de facto by Dalrada appointees. 

Their credibility should be fast running out in anyone's mind, regardless of hearsay. 

[Hoofballer]

Led to believe the recording is shocking and doing the rounds.

Opinions towards club board after the summer shenanigans may be reinforced if do get opportunity to listen to it fully. Not really surprised at the suggested content either, there’s really bad smell around what’s all going on.

Not a good look for the club all round and we still have the same nuggets running the show. An honest and hard working club employee has been badly treated it seems and not for the first time.

MCT board need to get central to the problem solving and quickly.

[Gordon Ritchie]

1 hour ago, Mr.Blue said:

Was this all shared at the time you were involved with the club or were you holding on to it so that you could kick the club when it's down?

I tried to share my concerns about Laird with MCT and the GMFC board at the time. They didn’t listen. There are so many other things that I’m not allowed to tell you due to board confidentiality.

[irnbru]

41 minutes ago, vikingTON said:

 

Their credibility should be fast running out in anyone's mind, regardless of hearsay. 

Think it's gone. Obviously no one know what goes on behind the scenes but seems to be just the Laird show and everyone falling in line. No idea what he's up to but whatever it is it's not the right way for a fan owned club. 

[AndyClark22]

The voice note is shocking - but unless the author is known, it's utterly pointless and invalid. I could sit and talk nonsense for seven minutes and send it round, doesn't make it reliable. It could be 100% on the money, but it's pretty pointless doing/feeling/saying anything without the most basic info of authorship 

[irnbru]

14 minutes ago, AndyClark22 said:

The voice note is shocking - but unless the author is known, it's utterly pointless and invalid. I could sit and talk nonsense for seven minutes and send it round, doesn't make it reliable. It could be 100% on the money, but it's pretty pointless doing/feeling/saying anything without the most basic info of authorship 

Ex tele reporter according to the other messages. 

I'd be inclined to think it's mostly true based on the familiarity with people mentioned rather than just a random guy ranting.

Obviously two sides to every story but the behaviours are consistent with what others have said and the attitude Laird had towards anyone else at the MCT meeting. 

Edit - we've also not seen any evidence whatsoever of the additional governance, staff, etc that have been mentioned and that seems to suit Laird so he can do what he likes without being accountable to anyone. 

[RossMcC1874]

So in summary Laird needs to get binned, but we can't do that because Brian Bonnar wants him there?

I dont keep up to date with much MCT or board things unless someone says something on here but we really seem to be a bit of a shit show behind the scenes.